


Heart of Gold

by DreamcatchersDaughter



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, IN SPACE!, M/M, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 15:52:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6246175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamcatchersDaughter/pseuds/DreamcatchersDaughter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony gets a little nervous. Clint gets suspicious and Bruce is very, very patient. <br/> or<br/>3 Times Tony Stresses + 1 Time He's an Absolute Nerd.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart of Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kamaete](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamaete/gifts).



> So... This is for [Kamaete's](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamaete) birthday!  
> Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry it was so late. I had planned to write you something entirely different (yes this happened again), but then this grabbed me and I ran with it. I really hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> The title is a tiny joke, cause I am not funny, but I think I am :p. 
> 
> Thank you so much to the wonderful [InsaneJuliann](http://archiveofourown.org/users/InsaneJuliann) for editing this for me I really appreciate. And thank you to all of you who bother to read and comment.
> 
> Now on with the show!

Clint walked into the Resilient's kitchen ready to make himself some breakfast when he stopped dead in his tracks.  
Clint’s foot had knocked into a pencil and sent it rolling across the floor, which knocked into a marble, which then rolled into a perfectly set up set of dominoes covering the kitchen’s floor.

Clint stared in wonder and horror as the chain reaction continued. The strategically placed spatulas flung toast into the toaster. Which was when Bruce walked in to witness the rest of the Rube Goldberg machine finish assembling breakfast.

“Tony must be really nervous.” Bruce commented lightly, a wicked smile ticking up at the corners of his mouth. 

Clint turned to him quickly. “Is the ship okay? Are we running out of oxygen? Are our engines low on fuel so far from the next space port? Why is he nervous Bruce!? And since when does Captain “Confidence” Stark get nervous? Are we all gonna die?” 

Each question was more hurried and frantic than the last. Bruce realized suddenly Clint had never seen Tony when he was smitten. Bruce breathed in deeply and began to reassure his anxious crew mate. “Clint, if anything was wrong with the ship that he couldn’t fix or with the oxygen levels for that matter, the Captain would have immediately conferred with his Co-Captain Rogers.”

Clint shoulders relaxed and his brow furrowed, “Then what could make him nervous enough to make this contraption?” 

Bruce’s earlier smile returned; he had a feeling it had everything to do with the flirtatious demeanor Sergeant Barnes had displayed towards Tony yesterday. But he wasn’t about to tell Clint that.

“It’s called a Rube Goldberg machine, a complicated way to complete simple tasks. This one looks to have been programmed to make us breakfast going by the amount of eggs and bacon sizzling in that pan.” Bruce walked over grabbed the spatula and began flipping the bacon and turning the heat down on the eggs.

“This is about the only way Tony can cook a decent meal,” Bruce muttered as he pushed the eggs onto a warming plate. Clint still looked worried so Bruce sighed and offered, “Tony makes contraptions like these when he’s nervous… about social interactions,” Bruce hedged.

Clint grinned. “Oh so this is about a girl.” Waggling his eyebrow, he began to butter the toast he fished from the toaster. 

Bruce laughed. “Something like that.” Clint’s brow furrowed again and Bruce was worried he was going to ask questions Bruce wouldn’t be able to answer without betraying their Captain’s confidences.

“Okay, but where did all these Old Earth appliances and toys come from? We’re in the Andromeda galaxy, where in the hell did he get all this crap?” Clint’s voice rose in incredulity.   
Bruce doubled over laughing. He shouldn’t have worried. 

-  
Steve strode into the common room, one of his favorite rooms on the ship, where Steve usually found his and Tony’s crew relaxing and enjoying their off time. Today however, he knocked his knee into a coffee table that he didn’t remember being in this room before.

Suddenly the room sprang to life. Apparently the table moving had snapped a string, which set off a catapult of- were those marbles? Yes, those were marbles spiraling down a strange glass funnel into a balance, which toppled and sent a set of dominoes falling into a bigger set of strategically placed books. 

Steve watched on in wonder as the machine unfurled to put popcorn in an old fashioned popcorn machine and turn on a movie manually he was certain Jarvis could have pulled up in half the time. 

Which told Steve one thing. Bucky had finally asked Tony out on that date. And from the looks of the hysteria that would have his crew coming to investigate (none of them could resist the smell of popcorn, the Old Earth food was a rare treat), Tony had accepted and was nervous as all hell. 

Steve grinned fondly as the popper began it’s merry music. He’d long since learned of his Co-Captains nervous tick. Steve had only actually seen it once before. When Tony had been nervous about putting in his application for the Resilient's Captain position. Steve believed in Tony then and he certainly believed in him now.

Natasha (his Co-Captain’s Sergeant) came strolling in no doubt attracted by the heavenly smell. She observed the mess before she silently strode over to the popcorn machine, pulled open the glass front, and put some popcorn in a small red and white striped plastic bag. She then grabbed a handful of the snack and popped it in her mouth.

Steve shook his head at her and waved around at Tony’s latest mess. Natasha just shrugged, smiled knowingly and continued to eat the treat. 

Rhodey, Sam, Clint, and Thor entered the room not a moment later. Rhodey started laughing as he headed straight for the popcorn. Thor followed, staring at the room in bemusement. Clint stared and then began stuttering next to a shocked looking Sam.

“Is anyone else curious at all where Tony is getting all this crap? Steve? Cap old buddy old pal? I mean seriously, WHERE THE FUCK DID HE FIND POPCORN? Come ON! Anybody?” Clint questioned, exasperation evident. 

Rhodey just laughed some more and snuggled up next to Natasha. Sam smiled at Steve then and walked over to get his own portion of the snack. Steve smiled back. Tony sure was something else. 

-  
Clint ran to through the corridors to the med-bay. He had to get Bruce immediately. Clint burst through the automatic doors with a rush and nearly knocked the poor doctor over in his haste.

“Bruce, come quickly I am not sure what’s wrong but you have to help.” He grabbed Bruce’s hand and began to drag him toward the kitchen. Bruce was worried, he’d never heard Clint sound so upset before. Bruce hastened behind Clint and fervently hoped no one was dying.

So when Clint pushed him through the doors and jabbed his finger at the very complicated Rube Goldberg Machine that had yet to finish, Bruce found himself rightfully angry.

“Explain,” he all but snarled, trying to keep the Hulk at bay and safe beneath his skin.  
But as he looked into Clint’s face, all he saw was fear, which confused Bruce.

“Tony has been dating Bucky for two years, so obviously something else is wrong!? Do you think he’s dying or someone else is dying and he’s been forced to keep a secret?” He sounded so panicked that Bruce found himself breathing deeply in and out. Clint thought the danger was real. He was not playing a cruel joke.

Bruce took in the current master piece, something he hadn’t seen since the popcorn madness two years ago. He frowned at the harp as the mechanical fingers set to play it began strumming after a glass coke bottle knocked into its pulleys. Maybe Clint had a right to be afraid this time. 

Then it struck him. “What day is it Clint?” 

“I don’t know February 23th, I think,” he said sounding confused. “Why?”

Bruce just smiled as the last piece fell in place and opened a curtain to display Pizza boxes which were sure to contain all the team’s favorites.

“It’s their anniversary.” 

Clint’s panic fled from his shoulders as his mouth formed a comical looking “Oh” shape.

Steve entered the room and exclaimed, “Is that Pizza! Where did Tony get PIZZA?”

Clint glared at Steve. “Oh NOW you're asking questions? This is what I was saying! The man is magician! Where the fuck did he get a harp?! AND Earth Pizza? But NO! No one would listen to me. Well the jokes on you Steve!” 

Bruce just laughed as they argued and reached for slices of pizza. So tonight was the night then.

-  
Bucky entered his quarters after a long day at the helm. Keeping track of their coordinates while mapping, charting, and steering through the meteor fields had made for a busy and harrowing day.

All he wanted was a nice hot shower, a nap, and maybe some of the pizza he’d heard the crew exclaiming about earlier. Then he’d find Tony and spend the rest of the night snuggling with his boyfriend on their special day. He didn’t need much more than that.

When the doors opened and his ankle hit a soft string he tensed for a trap. The lights came up and he watched in wonder as one of Tony’s crazy machines came to life. He’d only ever heard about them, but this was a thing of delicate beauty. 

Bucky watched as things rolled, clinked, and snapped. As levers moved and objects fell into their proper places. Then came the grand finally, a mechanical hand was triggered to open and drop a lovely bouquet of flowers into a nice vase. Water began to fill the vase, and overflow into the basin it was sitting in. The water's pressure released a switch which brought out a small metal box, which popped open once it broke the surface of the water. The motion caused the dominoes on the dais behind it to begin overspilling onto the floor below. He stared in shock as they knocked into each other swiftly.

Written in dominoes beneath the box were the words: Will You Marry Me?

He sucked in a breath as his eyes darted back to the box to take in what he’d missed before. Nestled in velvet on top of the water fountain, was a beautiful silver ring, with a simple star shaped ruby inlaid in it’s face. 

Bucky’s hands came up to his face as he stared at the beautiful display. He could feel the tears rolling down his cheeks. His new fiance was such a gorgeous dork. Bucky looked away from the water fountain, the ring, and the pretty bouquet, to the man standing behind it. Tony smiled, shakily and whispered, “Well, will you?”

Bucky ran into his arms and crushed him to his chest, tears falling freely now. “Yes, you adorable, beautiful nerd of course I will.” Their mouths met then in a frenzy. When Bucky finally pulled away to catch his breath he said, “A Rube Goldberg machine really?”

Tony laughed. “What can I say, I got inspired.” He slipped the ring onto Bucky’s finger and then kissed him softly.

Bucky pulled back for second time and whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Bucky-Bear.”

“I have one question though.” 

Tony’s heart pounded in his chest.

“Where DID you get the pizza?”

Tony’s joyful laughter could be heard all the way down into the engine room.

**Author's Note:**

> I did not do this on purpose Kam. I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. ^^


End file.
